"Ichi the Killer": In Adoration of Violence

Very few people who live above ground have heard of a sadistic, wretchedly depraved film called Ichi the Killer. It’s been relegated to a small sect of us subterranean worm people who seek out these bizarre films; hence they go unnoticed by most of the population. And here’s the dirty little secret: we like it. Listen, it’s not like we’re trying to be cooler than cool, but everybody wants something that’s their own that no one else can claim. This is the theory behind the backlash against popularity, especially in pop-culture: when something gets too well-known some people let go of it, or bash it, as has been the case on internet talk-backs for years now. The movie doesn’t even have to be good, necessarily, for people to latch onto it, it just has to feel like they’re part of a select group who have seen it and/or enjoyed it. If the Transformers movie was an underground, a little-known film minus some of the special effects due to budgetary concerns, it would be a cult film. But, because it was a big budget, special effects extravaganza that made an ocean of money, people turn on it. All for the simple reason that it doesn’t feel like their own movie, it’s everyone’s. As for myself, I relish the idea of spreading the word on films to my friends, or discovering something they gave me to watch, so we all have something to share that’s ours. Nothing makes me happier than recommending a movie to my friends and having them enjoy it as much as I do, that’s what makes us friends. We can throw movie quotes around from films that most other people wouldn’t even see, let alone know every line of dialogue. National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 for us is an absolute treasure trove of unending hilarious quotes that we’ll never stop using in everyday conversation. I assure you there’s a very small group of people who are quoting that movie every day.

However, that’s where the enigma of Ichi the Killer begins. I would never recommend this film to anyone, unless I knew they had the same morally flexible sensibilities that I do. If you know some of the other films in director Takashi Miike’s body of work, then you might have a vague idea what to expect. This movie is sick, twisted, uber-violent, and bordering on horrifying. It has everything nobody wants to see, from rape, dismemberment, suicide, torture, right up to the title of the film rising out of a puddle of semen, which apparently is real semen. Now, I’m not saying I heard all these horrifying things that happen in this movie and immediately said “I want that!!” On the contrary, I’d read about the film for years on different websites in researching other dissolute films such as Salo and Cannibal Holocaust. There was commonly a casual mention of Ichi the Killer somewhere in there, but most reviews for the film were positive. And that’s where there’s a difference. Films such as Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, and the Guinea Pig series (none of which I’ve ever seen, or probably ever will see) represent a lack of story structure, making their sole purpose to disgust people. It’s fascinating to read about these films online, as these are the ones that people say “Man, if you thought _______ was disgusting, you haven’t seen anything. Check out _______!!” These people aren’t necessarily fans of the films, most just like to say they’ve seen them and lived to tell the story or to gloat over others and say, “man, you’re not ready for that movie”. Which makes these films simply a badge of honor for those who are trying to push the limits of what they can watch and not be disgusted by. It’s almost a contest to see who’s more desensitized. Films are about story and plot and character, and mixed in with the over-the-top violence and blood squirting, Ichi the Killer has all that.

The plot centers on Japanese yakuza searching for their missing “Boss”. The de facto leader of the gang, Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a cruel masochist with rings in his cheeks to hold his face together, turns to the leader of a rival gang after receiving, what turns out to be, a false tip-off from an unassuming old man. The interrogation scene that follows is about as harsh and stomach-churning as it gets, at least as far as I’ve seen. Now, I want to stop here to focus on this moment in the film. The Saw franchise straddles the line of this new “torture porn” craze that apparently passes for horror in current American cinema. The new point of horror movies is to disgust without any relevance to the story; it all comes down to the kill. Characters we don’t care about get killed off for no reason except to demonstrate the creativity of the kill, paying no attention to set-up or character arc. It’s baffling. The first Saw used the torture fairly effectively, serving as a means to discover the characters through their actions. Sadly, the rest of the series focused mainly on the gore and inventive torture gadgets, and overuse of the twist ending. The interrogation scene in Ichi is a set-up for not one or two, but a minimum of three things to come later on in the film. And for this reason, upon second viewing, you get to have an “ahhhh….I see what’s going on here” moment that’s absent when the brutality serves no purpose. Needless to say, there is a level of gratuitous violence in the film, as just about every woman in the film is abused in some way. And even some of the over-the-top moments involving the women are there to serve as a character reveal, unfortunately, at the expense of mostly innocent women caught up in a very vicious world.

Another tip-off refers the gang to a psychopath named Ichi (Nao Omori), who has savagely murdered the “Boss” in a glorious, blood-spurting manner. What follows this set-up is a bit of a cat-and-mouse game where the now exiled Kakihara and his band of yakuza cast-offs search for Ichi, some to seek revenge for the “Boss”, and Kakihara to find Ichi and satisfy his craving to have pain inflicted upon him. The strange thing about the story is there doesn’t appear to really be a protagonist to empathize with. Kakihara inflicts so much carnage in his search for his beloved “Boss” and, ultimately, Ichi, without any regard for human life that it’s impossible to root for him. He seeks pain, and that’s something I simply can’t identify with. Ichi, himself, is an enigmatic character you find yourself strangely sympathizing with. He’s a killing machine, plain and simple, but only if provoked. You see, Ichi is more of a small child who has almost no control over himself or his actions if the mood strikes him. He dresses like a superhero, albeit with knife blades sticking out of his shoes, and kills only those he is told to kill, as he is made to believe these people are the bullies who pushed him around when he was a child. And that’s where it gets interesting. He is almost portrayed as an innocent; his actions dictated by someone who has been controlling him and telling him who to kill. This person (who shall no be named as that would ruin the fun) has brainwashed Ichi into thinking he’s ridding the world of all the bad people. He weeps when he kills and confuses violent anger with sexual arousal, stemming from an “incident” from his childhood that proves to be the seed of his rage.

OK, I’m going to out on a limb here, folks. I’m going to recommend this film, but with an asterisk. Not everyone can handle violence on screen, and for anyone who doesn’t like the comparatively tame violence in an action movie or who has to cover their eyes during the “gross” scenes in a horror movie, don’t heed my recommendation. Mind you, Ichi the Killer is not a horror movie, as there isn’t really anything scary about the film at all. There is even a bit of humor, whether intentional or unintentional, as is the case in some of the more laughable effects shots. The scariest thing is it's lack of moral center, and it’s ambiguity towards violence. Horrible acts are thrown up on screen and never is there a moment where a character reflects upon what happened, but rather steam-rolls into the next scene, leaving you to just accept what happened and move along. By the end of the film you may feel a bit darker than you did before you started. I assure you, it wears off. But, here’s the kicker: what you’ll remember first and tell everyone about is the violence and the bloodshed, as this film will always be defined by these elements, but it’s the story that will stick with you for days. That’s what makes this film worthy of not one, but at least two viewings. Because once the shock of the visuals wears off, you’ll find yourself engrossed in the very strange narrative being told.

Now, listen, you’re being forewarned. First off, if your friends turn on you for enjoying this movie don’t blame me. I’ve succinctly laid out the gruesome details, leaving only your own curiosity to blame should you decide to watch it. As I’ve discovered, there’s a good chance you may find yourself wanting to watch Ichi the Killer more than once. I assure you, there’s nothing wrong with you; it’s a good thing…..just don’t tell anyone.